elsaenroute 3Speak Podcast

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=elsaenroute/selptjwnad As ironic as it sounds, meeting strangers who matches your vibe is one of the best part about solo trips. I've met amazing people during my Himachal trip and Nithya was one of them. We explored a few places together and Kalgha was one of the highlights. We both wanted to have a long memorable trek in the Himalayas and I already had two of them. So, Tosh was one of our mutual interests and we made a plan for 3 days to explore Tosh and the nearby villages. Well, things did change once we reached there. We were joined by another solo traveller and they made a trek to Bun Buni while I came back the next day. I've already written the blog on this but could only publish the video now. The whole place looked dry. This is a place that gets covered in snow. I wish to visit Kalgha when it is green and alive, or when it is covered in snow. On map: [//]:# (!pinmapple 31.99474 lat 77.45161 long Kalgha d3scr)

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=elsaenroute/vhdgulkq Ever since I saw this village in Malana valley, I had decided; I’m going there one day! And, today was the day. It felt like the right thing to do as well after all the long treks and a talking knee. It was not an exploration but a light walk around the village. ! Chowki village is the only other village that is there on the route to Malana. It is at a perfect distance from the main road and the valley that it seems hidden unless you enter the road to Malana. I went there for a walk in the evening expecting nothing and it turned out to be a better experience than I anticipated. When I started walking, it was still the golden hour with the orange light coming from the sunset. To my surprise, this small village seemed much more oraganized in terms of connectivity. ! ! I’ve visited a few other villages so far. Some of them commercialised and some other isolated. But none of them felt this connected with paved trails. Colourful wooden houses were one of the things attracted me to visit this village and they seemed very far from the road. Once I entered the village, there were many houses with the tile roofs and wooden panels, just what I was looking for! Plus, those houses were connected with concrete trails and they went through each and every houses and the trails were made parallel, one step below the other plane of land giving more structure to the village. ! ! ! The village was largely empty probably because everyone was away for work except for a few ladies I found in some houses. I always wondered how people live in tiny houses in the mountains and this village showed me otherwise. The houses were big in terms of area. There were a few under construction as well. ! ! ! There was nothing else to in the village other than to walk around and take in the amazing view of Parvati valley. The stationary shops, restaurants and homestays were all on the main road to Malana. Once you enter the village, there is nowhere to buy things. ! ! I went till the end of one road where it reached the place I always looked up from the Malana road. Then the sun started to disappear and you know the drill by now, you don’t go for adventure in the dark in the Himalayas. While my way back I met the procession at the local temple and this is where I saw the Gur in action (I’ve written a separate blog on the Devata concept in Himachal). There was a grandma who was waiting to see the deity on the trail. Women are not allowed to enter the temple premises during this ritual, so, she was waiting there for a glimpse. I loved her sweater. It was very unique and handmade. ! ! ! I reached back to the road with the group of people who were carrying the deity and crossing the valley. Then I was stopped by this cute little child who was interested in my camera. However, it turned out to be a sad moment when he wouldn’t leave without the camera and started crying. ! Well, there’s nothing more to write in this blog since it was a very light walk and all I carried along were my thoughts. I think your experience largely depends on your mind during that trip and all I can say is I was really happy with visiting Chowki village. ! If you ever want to visit, you need to reach the Joystel in Malana road and you can find a staircase that goes up to the village. That is Chowki Village. On Map: [//]:# (!pinmapple 32.00608 lat 77.24617 long Chowki village d3scr)

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=elsaenroute/lztxjryc Pini village was one place I loved the most in my entire trip. I always wondered why people encourage visiting villages in Himachal and I get it now. Villages in Himachal is the epicenter of cultural exchange here in the mountains. Pini especially have my heart for the people I met there. They were one of the sweetest. Our trek was another factor that made it all the more adventureous. I have already written the blog about it recently (https://hive.blog/travel/@elsaenroute/the-hidden-gem-in-kullu-pini-village). Sharing the video of our almost 9 hours/10+ km trek to and fro in the parvati valley. One of the most memorable experience was visiting the local house for lunch. It was an amazing accident where we met the lady who just came to take something from her shop and ended up taking us to her house and cooked us a simple meal. From her home to thier hospitality to their gardens, everything about Pini was so perfect that I still think about going there everytime I crave some lone time! Well, let me just end the words here. I hope you reach Pini someday :) Pini on map: [//]:# (!pinmapple 32.03187 lat 77.22912 long pini d3scr)

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=elsaenroute/wzrdfrwq # Malana Village Malana village is one of the oldest democracies in the world. It is an isolated village that still follows a lifestyle way different from mainland India. Most people know Malana for their award winning hash cream-Malana cream. I am more interested to experience the culture and the place. Coincidently, there were a lot of people on the trail dressed in traditional clothes. Turns out, I've reached on the birthday of the God here and also there's another Goddess visiting the village. (they are visiting Malana from another village) I was a bit confused about taking pictures since it is restricted along with the untouchability rules in place. But, everyone was pretty friendly even though I was told not to focus on the people and inside of the houses. Untouchability Practices First things first; you can’t touch anything inside the village. This is applicable to everyone outside of their village. The first thing I noticed entering the village is the sign board that says touching holy place is a punishable offence. This extends to pretty much everything, people, walls, houses, pets and so on. There is defined routes outsiders can take inside the village. If you are buying something from a store, you need to put the cash down and they’ll also put the item you bought down. This extends to many other areas. Malani people can’t eat anything cooked by outsiders. They need to follow purification rituals if they break these rules. I knew about the untouchability in Malana but I was a bit scared how it works! However, the villagers take that responsibility on themselves instead of imposing it on you. I mean, they’ll move away and give you the way if we come across on the trail. Even the kids over there are aware of their customs and will keep the distance. Some online sources attribute this to the caste system. However, from my interactions with the locals and the outsiders who have lived there for a long time, I got different perspectives. In fact, they don’t follow the rituals of other mainstream religion. Jamdagni Rishi’s Malana The temples here are made of wood and stones. On the other side, there were skulls and horns of animals as well. It was surprising to know they don’t even do any Puja or services like other religions. They only follow the rules and messages of Jamdagni rishi; a great sage from the Tretayuga. This includes the administration of the village to the justice system. The concept of Devata or God-like figures is very common in Himachal Pradesh. The whole state is also known as Dev-Boomi or land of Devatas/Gods. It is a very common sight to see deities being carried on shoulders with unique musical instruments and men making a procession. They walk for days or months sometimes, takes the mountain trails and reach other villages where the deity meets the deity of the hosting village. The day I reached Malana, it was Jamdagni rishi’s birthday. He is also called as Jamlu rishi by the locals. Another deity from a village called Pini was also visiting the village. So, the whole place was crowded. There were around 1000 people who came to attend this event. Accommodation for Outsiders Accommodation for outsiders are built a bit far from the village. There are a few hotels, cafes and tents. Nothing fancy but just basic facilities are covered. Once I entered the village, I was approached by people selling weed and accommodation. I wasn’t feeling good about the places though. Luckily, I met a couple who came to the village to attend a wedding. They had a local contact who arranged a stay for them. I booked a room next to them. Later, another couple of doctors also joined us for dinner. They’d also offered a ride while I was climbing up the road alone in the morning. We spent the whole night talking to the teenagers from the village. Food you get here is also very basic. But, the view compensates for that. There were many people from Pini walking around in the morning here. These are the people who came with the devata. Their outfits were interesting with leaves and flowers on the hats and ladies in traditional attire and silver jewelries. Youth of Malana With all the rules and rituals, the last thing I expected was to interact with the locals. However, the owner of the place we stayed is one of the hangout spots for the local teenage guys. They came there to chill and ended up spending time with us through midnight. They were the most fun and happy people I’ve ever met. These kids were 18 and less. However, they were more mature than most people I know at my age. I was also surprised to know these kids get married way too young. One of the 18 year among them just got engaged and everyone was teasing him. Turns out it is quite normal for them to find a partner and get married that young. Plus, they were happy with it and didn’t feel compelled to do it either. Also, these kids start to smoke up very early in life, it’s very normal for them. They also told the real stories of their lives. Such stories demystified all the rumors about the village. Our conversations went from their fines for alcohol, to their lives to hunting and petting a snow leopard cub. Living in the remotest place and among all the ancient rules, one would expect them to be far away from the modern world. However, these kids do use Instagram and internet. Few of them have their rap songs posted and used in reels. They do have schools and most of them drop out as well. After going to cities, experiencing everything around them, many of them still want to be living in their culture. They are also happy and proud about their homeland and traditions. Businesses The main income for the village is from the cannabis cream they make yearly. Malana cream is the finest in the world and they spent few months cultivating the plant and making the cream by hand. I’m told they’re not allowed to do any other businesses. So, the cafes and hotels here are run by people from other places. And, these days, there are a few people who go for normal jobs in the cities. Kanashi Language Malani people speak a unique language only they know. It is called Kanashi and it’s believed to have be the language of demons. In fact, with all the reference to the ancient times which dates back to the Hindu scripts, Malana people get a reputation of descendants of Asuras among other villages in the state. Some sweet memories The next day, I was leaving in the morning itself since there was no water in the washrooms. It was so cold at night. I couldn’t sleep as well. With all the treks I thought I would be dead by night. Plus, the weather was getting cloudy. So, if it rains, it would be difficult to go down the trail. Since Malana is at an altitude of 8000m, it starts to snow instead of raining. While I was leaving, I was trying to take pictures of the public places. Since photography was also restricted, I was a bit scared to take the photos. If something goes wrong, I was alone and the police doesn’t come to the village. Monetary Fine was just simple thing. However, the guys from Pini asked me to click their pictures and made profile pictures. When they came to know I was leaving before the festivities, they asked if I went to the highest point from where I can see the whole village. Then three of them took me through the village to this place from where you can see the whole village and another place called Rasol on the other side. They were so careful taking me through the lanes of the villages I was avoiding. At some point we stopped and they checked with the villagers if I can go through those routes. They were really sweet to take me to the place where the deity-Bagasidh was placed and surrounded by people. Since I was carrying a DSLR around my neck, one of the Malani kid got interested and started following us. He might be around 4 or 5. He asked what it was and I showed how camera works, definitely from a distance. When I asked if I can click his picture, he refused. But, he kept following us and the guys with me talked to him in the local language. So, finally, one of the guys stood with the kid at a distance and I took the picture. I’m impressed with how even the kids knows the rules of the village. I think I’ll cherish these photographs! Another interesting moment was meeting this girl and she posed for the photo with two of her friends. I was showing the pictures and she took my phone directly from my hand. That was also a bit surprising given all the rules. When I left, the feast or the dham was just starting. There were blood stains at different places, probably from the sacrifice or slaughtering of the goats. It almost started drizzling and it took me around 2 hours to reach the entrance gate of Malana. Once I was at the gate, it as pouring and I left in a taxi reliving the whole 10kms I walked up the previous day!

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=elsaenroute/dqsekoak Malana is one of the remote villages in Himahchal Pradesh. It is famous for their cannabis cream-Malana Cream. More than that, the village is famous for their mysterious lifestyle and untouchability practices towards outsiders. Ever since I knew about Malana, I wanted to visit the village and have first-hand experience of those claims. This blog is not about the village though but the trek to the village. Road to Malana starts from a place called Dhunkara when you come from the main road. Lucky for me, I was staying in a property in Malana road itself. So, Malana was around 14 kms from there. There is a paved road that covers 10kms and from there you need to take the trail to reach the village. But, I had decided to walk all the way up, the whole 14kms because that was my dream for many years. Also, I've never been at this high altitude. I always fantasized about being at high altitudes and in snow. Well, there was no snow but the fall season also felt amazing. I would say I was ill prepared for such a long journey as well. I wore a thermal and a fleece jacket only since it gets hot during the day. I also bought two snickers chocolate and a peanut bar in case there were no hotels on the way. This is also my first time going for a solo trek. I was given a chart by a Ukrainian guy who is a travel expert and has done adventurous treks. That chart simplified the relation of oxygen and elevation for me. However, the whole concept was new to me. So, I was curious to check how my body reacts to this changes in elevation and oxygen concentration. You'll find me checking All trails app, elevation and time very often, to a point it's so cringe to watch! However, I was asked to make the video by many I met at the village who were surprised to see someone walking all the way up. So, this blog is also dedicated to those who met me later and took time to talk! I started from Dhunkara at 7.30 in the morning. I only have experience of walking in plane land and it usually takes me 2 hours to complete 10kms. So, I estimated triple that time. I was also told I might reach the first bridge by 11 AM. So, that was my first estimation. Surprisingly, a dog started following me. I've always seen dogs following people in the Himalayas and it felt like a dream come true! I also felt equally sad because he just kept following me and I didn't want him to be walking all the way hungry. So, I tried a lot to make him go back but at the end I just accepted that I'm travelling with him. At first the roads were so good and a bit familiar. The view of the valley kept getting better with each turn. There were also few houses around the road. I could recognize Baari, a cafe I had heard from someone. It was closed when I reached there. I also wanted to go fast before it gets hot. After the this cafe, the number of houses started to get lesser. The views got better and better. It started to get silent and empty. It felt really nice though. Just the kind of peace I was looking for in this trip. However, I was not used to this type of silence. The sound of leaves falling and my own steps felt very sharp. I had to make a plan to record myself. The first plan was to take a selfie at each milestone recording the distance covered and how I felt at that point. Everything changed after 4kms. The valley looked like so pretty with colourful leaves and all of a sudden, the dog decided to disappear. By now, he had almost became my pet. I felt responsible for him. He was a such a fun soul to be around. I later on found he was eating something from a skeleton. At first, I got scared because it seemed like a human skeleton. I've also heard stories of Parvati valley being called death valley. For sometime I questioned my decisions. The leaves and the nature was a huge encouragement to keep moving. It was cold but sunny at the same time. I fell in love with those bright colours. It was the first time I had seen such bright oranges and yellows! My obsession with meeting a Yeti was also another motivation. The book I'm reading currently by Sri M also has a part about him meeting a Yeti, so I always had that in the back of my mind. Even though I was on a paved road, this is the most forest-y experience I've had I guess. At one point, I met the lady who comes to clean where I stay. She was with her kids. They had gone to the forest to collect wood. Wood is the hot commodity in these mountains. Almost all the houses are heated using a Tandoor and wood for the winter is stored at the basement of the houses. I could never imagine such needs and hardships in life. For them, it was a usual chore. Something else also happened here. There was a shepherd with a lot of sheep and two guard dogs camped on the side of the road. Seeing those dogs, my dog just stopped on the road. I tried a lot to make him move or go back but he just stood there staring at me. I finally decided to walk forward hoping he would go back. But, I could see him stand there. So, I went back but he was not there. I spent around 15 minutes to check on him. Finally, ,when I met the family carrying the woods, I asked her to take him back while they go. I waited though for few minutes hoping to see him go with them. But, I heard dogs fighting and I broke down a little bit there. It felt like my fault to make him accompany me. Well, I gathered myself up and moved on hoping to reach the bridge sooner. The road then became completely empty. On one side it was rocks and when I walked on the other side, I could hear Parvati river. It was amazing to switch places like that and have some fun. However, you can't ignore your thoughts and emotions when you are alone for that long. I already started to face myself and my thoughts at this point. I also picked up a few pine cones just out of curiosity. The view of the valley was incredible which made me excited about going forward. Meanwhile, I met three older ladies who hiked all the way from Kullu through the valley. But, they stopped to have a chat with the shepherd and I continued alone. They were surprised to see a female going alone. Here, people get married really young. 18 is a very normal age for marriage and that is very common in these villages. I picked up a stick as well since I had no idea what was waiting for in the next turn. Every little thing was so pure and special. The rocks had this green shade inside of it. These were mainly fallen down during the landslides and flood that happened last year. But, I stopped at many places to just process the beauty of this place. Another interesting view was of the valley where there were green trees in the middle of dried up orange land. When the roads changed like that, my intention to take pictures also changed. I was no more taking pictures and videos because it's impossible to capture the feeling. Even though I stopped at places to take pictures, I didn't take the camera out. Then I started to see random markings on rocks as well. So, I assumed random measures for that. All that mattered were I could breathe and walk. I was told to look for a two bridges and a tunnel. I had to reach them to know I was on the right path even though there is only one road. So, I got excited to see a cave and a milestone that said it's just 1.5 kms away. Then there was a temple out of nowhere. It seemed like a view point as well. I had one snicker bar over there. By now, there were cars that went to Malana and they offered me a ride till the last stop. I politely refused since I wanted to do this walk. It was already 10 AM and I was nowhere close to my estimated destinations. In fact, I had no clue how long it was going to take me. I also felt like I might not be able to reach the place on time. Because walking or travelling in the dark here is impossible for me. So, I had prepared my mind to get a taxi if I can't make it my own. The 500m milestone felt like a big achievement. I finally saw a bridge around 11 AM. It was a bitter sweet moment. Because, I realized I've only covered halfway. The whole milestone was for the Malana power plant by a company called Greenco which is far away from the village. There were many workers who did the labour carrying rocks and repairing the roads. I also got confused where to go since the road led to a check-post by the powerplant company. I was a bit confused if that was a dangerous place since I was the only outsider there.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=elsaenroute/ohmkdero I went for a month long solo trip to Himachal Pradesh with many soft-goals in mind. I wanted to go for treks and also see snow. I've never seen snow and I was also scared of my plans to trek during snow! When I reached here, it wasn't snowing at all. Also, I chose Kasol as my base and it doesn't snow in Kasol till January. My first week in Kasol was very peaecful. I've posted from Kasol as well. So, here's the location tags as well. I stayed at a hostel/villa called The Kasol Hostel. It was called Kasol Villa till last year. It is easily one of my recommenations if you are planning a trip to offbeat places in Kasol. It is away from the busy Kasol. The best part: food! It was not easy to find good food when I first went out. They have really good food. It is no surprise since the owner is also a chef! Here’s the location of the hostel: https://maps.app.goo.gl/vAg3mcu2KZYRKSEG8 The next place I want to share is my favorite spot in this valley. That is the Parvati river. I found this place near Malana Hydro Power plant. So, check out this location and look for a small cafe nearby. You can easily reach there and go very close to the river. Please be careful though. Parvati valley is also called Death valley! Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KV7ZY655kR9XuU5C8 The other two places in the video are super famous. Manikaran and Kasol Market. Both places also provide shopping lanes. Since I came for peace and calm, I prefer to stay at my hostel and walk around that place. It is a perfect location! The first week I spent in getting used to the place and making my body adjusted to the place. I have treks in plan and I haven’t even gone for a hike after my knee injuries. So, I’m equally excited and nervous about my own plans! On map: [//]:# (!pinmapple 32.00216 lat 77.24369 long Kasol d3scr)

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=elsaenroute/ciurowyi This must be the first time I’m celebrating Diwali with all the lights. Diwali comes with long days of holidays for everyone. Most people have left Bangalore for their hometown or other destination. We went to our friends place. You might have already seen them in my other vlogs as well. They’re getting married soon, in January. So, this Diwali is a homely one. We reached late in the evening and went for a nearby place for dinner. The otherwise busy HSR was empty that day because of the holidays. After dinner, we went for an ice cream hunt. There was only one place open and they had already closed dining. So, we got our ice creams before getting an Uber. Cafe 27 is our go to place for breakfast whenever we are in HSR. You might have already seen it in other vlogs. Puttu, the steamed rice mixed with coconuts and poori are our usuals. This day was it was the same. However, since it was the holidays and I was pretty sure of not making 10k steps conciously. However, we rtied to eat healthy as much as we can. Diyas or the small mud lamps are my favourite during Diwali. We had many colourful ones and some special ones with different designs. We had a homely meal prepared by all of us. It was a typical Kerala meal with rice, sambar, long bean stir fried and pappdam. It was soo good. I love how I’m in the company of people who loves to cook and feed. I also learned a lot about cooking from them. In the evening, we lit up all the diyas and had some fire crackers as well. Once everything was done, it was time for dinner and pretty much all places were closed. We went to an open street food like place hoping it would be open. Litti chowka from the Bihar junction is good. Since I don’t eat ghee, I never tasted it but everyone agrees that it’s one of the best you get in Bangalore. I had a mushroom and corn Masala dosa. We had Falooda as well after that but it wasn’t that great. The next day morning we went for breakfast at a new place. We tried pineapple holige and it was so good. That’s the first time for me and I loved it. I would go back there just to try it. After days of eating out and not-so-healthy food, we decided to prepare lunch as well. It was palak paneer. It is one dish I know I can cook easily. For dinner we went to a small cafe in Kammanahalli called Olive. We had burgers and some drinks from there. That was this year’s Diwali. It was bright and colourful. I loved it. I’ve kept the video on an ASMR mode with original sounds only to capture all the little things we did for the holidays. See you in my next vlog, Take care🙂

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=elsaenroute/olghjfse Another week pass by with my struggle to get healthy and my boyfriend offering all the sweets at the same time. How do you stand these temptations! I don’t generally. It’s been a calm week. However, we also got a bad news which was difficult to process. So, our road trip planned for this month (November) is not happening. Things change so fast. And, I decided to focus on cooking again. But, somehow we end up eating out. Even though I’ve been in Banglore, I’ve hardly visited any places here including malls. I only go whenever I want to buy something. Main reason is the traffic and then parking. So, on Sunday, we ended up going to Orion mall together. If it is a bit far from our place, we always prefer public transport. OLA, Uber and Namma Yatri services are pretty good in Bangalore- except they cancel on you a lot. I loved the green roads and the whole place near Orion mall. Since we went early in the morning, around 10, the roads were pretty empty. The mall had a lot of handcraft stalls outside as well. On Monday, we went to this cute cafe we found near our car wash. The thing is we always thought it was a cafe but it’s a roastery. They have different varieties of coffee beans. However, the food was not that great. But, it’s a hidden cute corner. A lot of things are changing so fast. I’m now confused about the plan of staying in Bangalore or going for a solo trip. For the time being, my focus is food and getting those steps in every day.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=elsaenroute/vnrjvwia It's been more than a month of debating weather to post the vlogs or not! But, the motto of this year is to get things done despite the perfection I keep in mind. It’s been ages I’ve travelled. Well, more than 3 years to be fair. The last 3 years have been nothing less of a rollercoaster ride. Life took turns in ways I never expected. It is both good and bad. I’ve also evolved in so many ways. One of the best things that happened over these years is getting in touch with myself; both physically and spiritually. Food became a priority after falling sick and facing death a little closer. I’m not a great cook, in fact, I didn’t even know I don’t know how to cook. But, that’s changing slowly. Now, I’ve learned how to cook a lot of basic things. Turning my life always starts with getting in shape and having a healthy body. Actifit has helped me stay in track before as well. I love how the page resets exactly after 24 hours. That forces me to get the goal of my workouts within time instead of procrastinating. This time, I thought I would log in my food as well just to recall by the end of the day. Since I’m in Banglore and we eat a lot outside, it’s been another challenge to keep up with the healthy food. So, I don’t want to be very hard on myself but I would like to have a balance. It’s been a week into doing this and I’m already happy with the progress. Also, since I had knee injuries in the last two years, I want to take things slow. A month of walking and making 10k steps should be a good start. We do have plans after that. November is going to be an exciting month. We have a few travel plans. I hope to be on road soon well and healthy. So, welcome to my vlog series, hope to see you around!

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=elsaenroute/inmkflvrqg elsaenroute - 1000075604.mp4